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LGHL Player to Watch: Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is already a known commodity
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Player to Watch: Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is already a known commodity
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
We begin a month of players to watch with perhaps the most obvious choice.
Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Indiana.
When it comes to the players to watch on the 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes, there is perhaps no more obvious choice than standout wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. By whatever metrics “best player” is measured by, Harrison has to be in the conversation when it comes to Ohio State.
Harrison arrived at Ohio State as a highly rated recruit, but he was still more of a legacy name than a future star when he got to Columbus. His work ethic and the skills he showed off in camp changed all of that. He was as good or better than the other Buckeye receivers in his recruiting class, as well as some of the guys who had been in the program for a year or two.
As a freshman, Harrison had to wait his turn behind three guys who are now in the NFL — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson. But he still appeared in 13 games his freshman season. His first career reception went for nine yards in a 59-7 drubbing of Akron on Sept. 25, 2021. He add a pair of receptions for 34 yards in a 54-7 win at Indiana that October. The tall freshman snatched two more grabs for 25 yards at Nebraska two weeks after the win over the Hoosiers.
Then, the balls stopped coming. Harrison did not have a reception against Purdue, Michigan State, or Michigan that season. But when Olave and Wilson sat out the Rose Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, it was Harrison’s time to shine. Harrison had a huge coming out party against Utah in the Rose Bowl, finishing with six receptions for 71 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 48-45 win over the Utes, and everyone in Buckeye Nation felt a little better about losing Olave and Wilson to the National Football League.
Entering 2022, Harrison was supposed to be one of the three starters, but it was Smith-Njigba who everyone expected to stuff the stat sheet for the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, an early injury that never quite healed up cost Smith-Njigba a promising final season in Columbus.
No matter. Harrison was more than up to the task of pairing with Emeka Egbuka and replacing JSN’s production.
Anyone who watched Ohio State play last year saw Harrison’s obvious quality. Statistically, he led the Buckeyes in about every receiving category: receptions (77), yards (1,263), yards per reception (minimum 10 receptions — 16.4 yards per catch), receiving touchdowns (14), receptions per game (5.9), and receiving yards per game (97.2). His 14 receiving touchdowns tied David Boston for the second-most in a season by any Buckeye receiver, just three behind Terry Glenn’s school record of 17.
Harrison finished the 2022 season as a unanimous All-American and won the Richter–Howard Award as the Big Ten’s receiver of the year. Had he not been the victim of an egregious targeting foul that wasn’t even called against Georgia in the Peach Bowl, he might well be entering the 2023 season as a member of the defending national champions.
After all, he had ripped through the vaunted Bulldog defense for five receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns on the night. It was one of seven games of 100+ receiving yards Harrison posted in 2022, and his fourth multi-touchdown game. A healthy Harrison for the final drive could have been the difference between going on to face TCU in the national championship and watching a field goal fly off line on the final offensive snap of the year.
Prior to Harrison’s three-touchdown game in the Rose Bowl as a freshman, 13 different players had managed three touchdown receptions or more in a game in the history of Ohio State football and none of them did it twice. Harrison did it three times in his first six starts and might have done it again vs. Georgia had he not been concussed in the end zone.
Obviously, it could have gone without saying that Marvin Harrison Jr. is a player to watch for Ohio State in 2023 (had I not said it). I didn’t have to tell you about Route Man Marv. You know. The reason to watch him in 2023 is because he’ll be playing on Sundays before you know it. Savor his OSU appearances while you can.
Another season like 2022 and a fruitful NFL career, and people won’t be calling him Marvin Harrison’s son anymore. They might be calling Marvin Harrison “Marvin Harrison Jr.’s dad.”
Continue reading...
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
We begin a month of players to watch with perhaps the most obvious choice.
Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Indiana.
When it comes to the players to watch on the 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes, there is perhaps no more obvious choice than standout wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. By whatever metrics “best player” is measured by, Harrison has to be in the conversation when it comes to Ohio State.
Harrison arrived at Ohio State as a highly rated recruit, but he was still more of a legacy name than a future star when he got to Columbus. His work ethic and the skills he showed off in camp changed all of that. He was as good or better than the other Buckeye receivers in his recruiting class, as well as some of the guys who had been in the program for a year or two.
As a freshman, Harrison had to wait his turn behind three guys who are now in the NFL — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson. But he still appeared in 13 games his freshman season. His first career reception went for nine yards in a 59-7 drubbing of Akron on Sept. 25, 2021. He add a pair of receptions for 34 yards in a 54-7 win at Indiana that October. The tall freshman snatched two more grabs for 25 yards at Nebraska two weeks after the win over the Hoosiers.
Then, the balls stopped coming. Harrison did not have a reception against Purdue, Michigan State, or Michigan that season. But when Olave and Wilson sat out the Rose Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, it was Harrison’s time to shine. Harrison had a huge coming out party against Utah in the Rose Bowl, finishing with six receptions for 71 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 48-45 win over the Utes, and everyone in Buckeye Nation felt a little better about losing Olave and Wilson to the National Football League.
Entering 2022, Harrison was supposed to be one of the three starters, but it was Smith-Njigba who everyone expected to stuff the stat sheet for the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, an early injury that never quite healed up cost Smith-Njigba a promising final season in Columbus.
No matter. Harrison was more than up to the task of pairing with Emeka Egbuka and replacing JSN’s production.
Anyone who watched Ohio State play last year saw Harrison’s obvious quality. Statistically, he led the Buckeyes in about every receiving category: receptions (77), yards (1,263), yards per reception (minimum 10 receptions — 16.4 yards per catch), receiving touchdowns (14), receptions per game (5.9), and receiving yards per game (97.2). His 14 receiving touchdowns tied David Boston for the second-most in a season by any Buckeye receiver, just three behind Terry Glenn’s school record of 17.
Harrison finished the 2022 season as a unanimous All-American and won the Richter–Howard Award as the Big Ten’s receiver of the year. Had he not been the victim of an egregious targeting foul that wasn’t even called against Georgia in the Peach Bowl, he might well be entering the 2023 season as a member of the defending national champions.
After all, he had ripped through the vaunted Bulldog defense for five receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns on the night. It was one of seven games of 100+ receiving yards Harrison posted in 2022, and his fourth multi-touchdown game. A healthy Harrison for the final drive could have been the difference between going on to face TCU in the national championship and watching a field goal fly off line on the final offensive snap of the year.
Prior to Harrison’s three-touchdown game in the Rose Bowl as a freshman, 13 different players had managed three touchdown receptions or more in a game in the history of Ohio State football and none of them did it twice. Harrison did it three times in his first six starts and might have done it again vs. Georgia had he not been concussed in the end zone.
Obviously, it could have gone without saying that Marvin Harrison Jr. is a player to watch for Ohio State in 2023 (had I not said it). I didn’t have to tell you about Route Man Marv. You know. The reason to watch him in 2023 is because he’ll be playing on Sundays before you know it. Savor his OSU appearances while you can.
Another season like 2022 and a fruitful NFL career, and people won’t be calling him Marvin Harrison’s son anymore. They might be calling Marvin Harrison “Marvin Harrison Jr.’s dad.”
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State women’s basketball heads to Bahamas for November Pink Flamingo tournament
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State women’s basketball heads to Bahamas for November Pink Flamingo tournament
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes face East Carolina and Oklahoma State in a tournament featuring fellow Big Ten schools
Tuesday, the Ohio State women’s basketball team brought its number of confirmed 2023-24 games from one to three. That’s when the Buckeyes announced on social media their involvement in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
Ohio State’s involvement in the tournament was first reported on June 8, with the Pink Flamingo tournament already featuring eight confirmed teams. It took almost two months for the final word to come down that one of those spots is filled by the scarlet and gray.
The Buckeyes face two teams where there’s not much history between the sides. On Nov. 20, Ohio State faces the East Carolina Pirates of the American Athletic Conference.
Last season, the Pirates ended the season with a 23-10 record, good for third in the conference. However, a conference tournament run that included an upset win over the Memphis Tigers put East Carolina into the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates ultimately fell to the No. 4 Texas Longhorns 40-79.
East Carolina and Ohio State have only faced each other in women’s basketball once in the teams’ histories. On Dec. 30, 1978, the Buckeyes fell to the Pirates in a close 81-80 defeat. That season, the scarlet and gray ended their impressive three-year run as Big Ten champions with a 19-11 record.
On Nov. 22, Ohio State takes on the other OSU: Oklahoma State University.
Last season, the Cowgirls went 21-12 (10-8), earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. The No. 8 seed lost in the first round to the Miami Hurricanes; the Cinderella story of the tournament.
Oklahoma State and Ohio State faced off only once too, this time with a Buckeyes victory on Nov. 22, 2009, a 93-72 win for the scarlet and gray.
While Ohio State was busy in the transfer portal, losing three players and adding three of their own, Oklahoma State’s had a big roster turnover. The Cowgirls added seven from the portal this offseason, after losing six following the early tournament exit. That’s because Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt is still building her team after joining the Cowgirls in 2022.
By November, all 10 teams at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship will already be multiple games into the season, softening the overhaul of transfers some teams face entering the 23-24 season.
Joining the Buckeyes in the Bahamas are the Penn State Nittany Lions and Purdue Boilermakers. Penn State faces familiar teams in the tournament, taking on the Cowgirls on Nov. 20 and the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, the same Trojans side Ohio State starts its season against on Nov. 6
For the Boilermakers, they take on the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, a tough pair of SEC teams. Here’s a full list of the matchups, also announced Tuesday along with the Buckeyes’ involvement.
All games in the tournament will air live on FloHoops. The Buckeyes game against East Carolina tips off at 1:30 p.m. ET and Oklahoma State and Ohio State start at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes face East Carolina and Oklahoma State in a tournament featuring fellow Big Ten schools
Tuesday, the Ohio State women’s basketball team brought its number of confirmed 2023-24 games from one to three. That’s when the Buckeyes announced on social media their involvement in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
Ohio State’s involvement in the tournament was first reported on June 8, with the Pink Flamingo tournament already featuring eight confirmed teams. It took almost two months for the final word to come down that one of those spots is filled by the scarlet and gray.
The Buckeyes face two teams where there’s not much history between the sides. On Nov. 20, Ohio State faces the East Carolina Pirates of the American Athletic Conference.
Last season, the Pirates ended the season with a 23-10 record, good for third in the conference. However, a conference tournament run that included an upset win over the Memphis Tigers put East Carolina into the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates ultimately fell to the No. 4 Texas Longhorns 40-79.
East Carolina and Ohio State have only faced each other in women’s basketball once in the teams’ histories. On Dec. 30, 1978, the Buckeyes fell to the Pirates in a close 81-80 defeat. That season, the scarlet and gray ended their impressive three-year run as Big Ten champions with a 19-11 record.
On Nov. 22, Ohio State takes on the other OSU: Oklahoma State University.
Last season, the Cowgirls went 21-12 (10-8), earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. The No. 8 seed lost in the first round to the Miami Hurricanes; the Cinderella story of the tournament.
Oklahoma State and Ohio State faced off only once too, this time with a Buckeyes victory on Nov. 22, 2009, a 93-72 win for the scarlet and gray.
While Ohio State was busy in the transfer portal, losing three players and adding three of their own, Oklahoma State’s had a big roster turnover. The Cowgirls added seven from the portal this offseason, after losing six following the early tournament exit. That’s because Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt is still building her team after joining the Cowgirls in 2022.
By November, all 10 teams at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship will already be multiple games into the season, softening the overhaul of transfers some teams face entering the 23-24 season.
Joining the Buckeyes in the Bahamas are the Penn State Nittany Lions and Purdue Boilermakers. Penn State faces familiar teams in the tournament, taking on the Cowgirls on Nov. 20 and the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, the same Trojans side Ohio State starts its season against on Nov. 6
For the Boilermakers, they take on the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, a tough pair of SEC teams. Here’s a full list of the matchups, also announced Tuesday along with the Buckeyes’ involvement.
All games in the tournament will air live on FloHoops. The Buckeyes game against East Carolina tips off at 1:30 p.m. ET and Oklahoma State and Ohio State start at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State can’t keep losing EDGE rushers down the stretch; something — or someone — needs to change
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Ohio State can’t keep losing EDGE rushers down the stretch; something — or someone — needs to change
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Stewart | 247Sports
We all love Larry Johnson, but it might be time for him to pass the sticks.
It’s almost hard to write this considering that just yesterday there was at least some sort of positive vibe surrounding the recruitment, but the Buckeyes have lost out on another major defensive target in the 2024 class as two crystal ball predictions were flipped from Ohio State to South Carolina for five-star edge rusher, Dylan Stewart and shortly after, his commitment went public via social media.
Some background on the prospect, Stewart is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound athlete with over 30 offers to his name. A Friendship Academy product out of Washington D.C., Stewart has long been on Ohio State’s radar, and for some time it was thought that the Buckeyes would win this commitment as they received multiple crystal balls following the five-star’s June official visit.
For the past month, all looked good for the Buckeyes to add the No. 13 player in the country (and the third-rated edge rusher) in the class according to 247Sports’ Composite Ratings, but things began shifting in recent weeks as Stewart made multiple trips to Columbia, S.C.
What might have been the thing that sealed his commitment, the Gamecocks were once again able to get him back on campus this past weekend and clearly knocked this visit out of the park as the result has landed them the crown jewel of their class. It’s unfortunate for Ohio State’s staff because they would have loved to host Stewart at last weekend’s SummerFest, but his choosing to return to Columbia instead of Columbus was a pretty major hint as to where he would be heading.
There’s no real easy way of saying it, but this is a really bad look for Ohio State’s defensive line coach Larry Johnson. Let me start by saying that LJ is still one of the best developers of the position in college football, but after going literally 0-for-3 in the 2023 class with elite edge rushers, he’s now following that up with another huge swing and miss not even a month after losing Chicago native, Marquise Lightfoot to Miami.
What makes this worse though is that like 2023’s top targets, Stewart and Lightfoot were players long considered Ohio State leans with multiple Buckeye predictions from the nation’s best recruiting analysts. However, for whatever reason — scheme, NIL, playing time, who knows — Johnson wasn’t able to close on any of them.
For years — dating back to his time at Penn State — Johnson has recruited the DMV (D.C.-Maryland-Virginia) better than anyone, so this loss hurts on multiple levels. Losing a DMV kid to South Carolina is just a punch to the gut. Sure, maybe the NIL deal in Columbia was too much to turn down, and that can be understandable, but this is becoming a trend and it has to stop.
The Buckeyes cannot afford to continue losing top-edge rushers each and every recruiting cycle. When the backbone of any solid defense is elite defensive line play and the staff keeps missing out on the guys they’re all-in on, that’s a terrible look plain and simple. Once is disappointing, twice is concerning, but three and four times is outright terrifying. If Stewart had been a kid from South (or even North) Carolina, you might chalk it up to wanting to stay closer to home.
But for Johnson to lose a player from a region of the country that has been his bread and butter for decades, might indicate that the shine is wearing off of the legendary coach and that his best might just not be good enough anymore.
For years, other programs have been negatively recruiting against LJ, telling top-end prospects that he is going to retire before their playing careers are done. Despite that, Johnson has reaffirmed his commitment to the program and his job. But let’s be honest, coaching is a young man’s game; intel around the program has been that Johnson does not communicate with recruits nearly as much as his colleagues and competition does.
Those things make a difference. Players want to know that they are a priority and if the longest-tenured coach on your staff isn’t willing — or able — to text with players to make that clear, then it might be time to initiate a succession plan.
Just two days following the major defensive addition of Aaron Scott, it would be understandable for some folks to suggest that the most anxious of Buckeye fans should take a deep breath and trust the staff, but I personally am over that when considering the defensive side of the ball as a whole.
Yes, Johnson somewhat surprisingly landed five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott earlier this month, but there is a big difference between DT and EDGE rusher in the importance of building a defense. Ohio State’s staff has flat-out not held up its end of the recruiting bargain and, clearly, it has shown on the field.
Offensively, Ryan Day and his crew have continued to mostly dominate despite the recruiting downturn, but it doesn’t take an expert to realize that the team’s defense has not been in the same arena as its offense in recent years. In fact, I think it is safe to say that had the defense been anywhere close to the offense’s level, it would have earned the Buckeyes at least one other national title over the past four seasons.
The only hope now at the EDGE rusher position in this class is for the Buckeyes to win out on five-star DE Eddrick Houston. The Georgia native has been crystal balled to Ohio State for nearly two months, but being in the middle of SEC country, no recruitment is safe until pen hits paper.
At any rate, Johnson needs to lock this one down and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Reports indicate that OSU will continue to recruit both Lightfoot and Stewart until Signing Day, so maybe one or both of them could end up in the class after all, but for now, not being able to land either of them is devastating.
How LJ handles his business — at least on the recruiting side — has to change. Whether it is changing his style or approach to communication or even in focusing more on NIL when talking to players and their families, the Buckeyes cannot afford to lose out on another elite edge rusher, especially with the turnover the position will almost certainly have this year as Johnson’s last two elite DE commits Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau will become draft eligible following the season.
Right now, being mad is completely warranted and probably the easiest reaction. The staff only has a few swings left and they better not strike out.
No one with any understanding of recruiting or high schoolers expects a program — even one with as national of interests as Ohio State, Alabama, or Georgia — to land every top prospect that it is in on. However, to be considered the leader on multiple five-star players only to lose them down the stretch is not a sustainable situation for any program.
So, if Johnson and company can’t close out this cycle with at least one more home run, it might be time to transition the Mount Rushmore position coach out. Whether that means he retires following the 2023 campaign and passes the sticks to someone who has worked under him in the past, or he transitions into a non-recruiting role within the program in which he still works with the players, developing their talent, but someone else is the face of the position, I don’t know. But this trend is not one that Ohio State can sustain for much longer.
The defense made moderate improvements in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ first season — even if the stats were actually better than the production — but still collapsed in the team’s two most important games of the season. Because the DC runs a somewhat unique 4-2-5 defense — with the LEO/Jack position floating between a lineman and a linebacker — it can actually look more like a 3-3-5. However, LJ’s entire career — including recent recruiting — has been focused on playing four traditional down linemen.
If the legendary coach can no longer land the best talent to fit the system he’s always coached in, where is the value in having him bring guys built to play a system that the defensive coordinator no longer runs? If LJ was signing top-50 or even top-75 guys across the board, then you deal with the schematic differences, but that’s just not the case, especially at EDGE rusher.
There seems to be a fairly obvious difference of visions between Knowles and Johnson — as evidenced by Sawyer in the Jack position last year and how much Johnson rotated players, despite the fact that Knowles said that wasn’t his defensive philosophy.
I have long been a Larry Johnson fan and thought that he was essential to the development of the Buckeye program, but at age 71, it might be time for him to make a change.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Stewart | 247Sports
We all love Larry Johnson, but it might be time for him to pass the sticks.
It’s almost hard to write this considering that just yesterday there was at least some sort of positive vibe surrounding the recruitment, but the Buckeyes have lost out on another major defensive target in the 2024 class as two crystal ball predictions were flipped from Ohio State to South Carolina for five-star edge rusher, Dylan Stewart and shortly after, his commitment went public via social media.
Some background on the prospect, Stewart is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound athlete with over 30 offers to his name. A Friendship Academy product out of Washington D.C., Stewart has long been on Ohio State’s radar, and for some time it was thought that the Buckeyes would win this commitment as they received multiple crystal balls following the five-star’s June official visit.
For the past month, all looked good for the Buckeyes to add the No. 13 player in the country (and the third-rated edge rusher) in the class according to 247Sports’ Composite Ratings, but things began shifting in recent weeks as Stewart made multiple trips to Columbia, S.C.
What might have been the thing that sealed his commitment, the Gamecocks were once again able to get him back on campus this past weekend and clearly knocked this visit out of the park as the result has landed them the crown jewel of their class. It’s unfortunate for Ohio State’s staff because they would have loved to host Stewart at last weekend’s SummerFest, but his choosing to return to Columbia instead of Columbus was a pretty major hint as to where he would be heading.
Not a good look at all
There’s no real easy way of saying it, but this is a really bad look for Ohio State’s defensive line coach Larry Johnson. Let me start by saying that LJ is still one of the best developers of the position in college football, but after going literally 0-for-3 in the 2023 class with elite edge rushers, he’s now following that up with another huge swing and miss not even a month after losing Chicago native, Marquise Lightfoot to Miami.
What makes this worse though is that like 2023’s top targets, Stewart and Lightfoot were players long considered Ohio State leans with multiple Buckeye predictions from the nation’s best recruiting analysts. However, for whatever reason — scheme, NIL, playing time, who knows — Johnson wasn’t able to close on any of them.
For years — dating back to his time at Penn State — Johnson has recruited the DMV (D.C.-Maryland-Virginia) better than anyone, so this loss hurts on multiple levels. Losing a DMV kid to South Carolina is just a punch to the gut. Sure, maybe the NIL deal in Columbia was too much to turn down, and that can be understandable, but this is becoming a trend and it has to stop.
The Buckeyes cannot afford to continue losing top-edge rushers each and every recruiting cycle. When the backbone of any solid defense is elite defensive line play and the staff keeps missing out on the guys they’re all-in on, that’s a terrible look plain and simple. Once is disappointing, twice is concerning, but three and four times is outright terrifying. If Stewart had been a kid from South (or even North) Carolina, you might chalk it up to wanting to stay closer to home.
But for Johnson to lose a player from a region of the country that has been his bread and butter for decades, might indicate that the shine is wearing off of the legendary coach and that his best might just not be good enough anymore.
For years, other programs have been negatively recruiting against LJ, telling top-end prospects that he is going to retire before their playing careers are done. Despite that, Johnson has reaffirmed his commitment to the program and his job. But let’s be honest, coaching is a young man’s game; intel around the program has been that Johnson does not communicate with recruits nearly as much as his colleagues and competition does.
Those things make a difference. Players want to know that they are a priority and if the longest-tenured coach on your staff isn’t willing — or able — to text with players to make that clear, then it might be time to initiate a succession plan.
Where to go from here
Just two days following the major defensive addition of Aaron Scott, it would be understandable for some folks to suggest that the most anxious of Buckeye fans should take a deep breath and trust the staff, but I personally am over that when considering the defensive side of the ball as a whole.
Yes, Johnson somewhat surprisingly landed five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott earlier this month, but there is a big difference between DT and EDGE rusher in the importance of building a defense. Ohio State’s staff has flat-out not held up its end of the recruiting bargain and, clearly, it has shown on the field.
Offensively, Ryan Day and his crew have continued to mostly dominate despite the recruiting downturn, but it doesn’t take an expert to realize that the team’s defense has not been in the same arena as its offense in recent years. In fact, I think it is safe to say that had the defense been anywhere close to the offense’s level, it would have earned the Buckeyes at least one other national title over the past four seasons.
The only hope now at the EDGE rusher position in this class is for the Buckeyes to win out on five-star DE Eddrick Houston. The Georgia native has been crystal balled to Ohio State for nearly two months, but being in the middle of SEC country, no recruitment is safe until pen hits paper.
At any rate, Johnson needs to lock this one down and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Reports indicate that OSU will continue to recruit both Lightfoot and Stewart until Signing Day, so maybe one or both of them could end up in the class after all, but for now, not being able to land either of them is devastating.
How LJ handles his business — at least on the recruiting side — has to change. Whether it is changing his style or approach to communication or even in focusing more on NIL when talking to players and their families, the Buckeyes cannot afford to lose out on another elite edge rusher, especially with the turnover the position will almost certainly have this year as Johnson’s last two elite DE commits Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau will become draft eligible following the season.
Right now, being mad is completely warranted and probably the easiest reaction. The staff only has a few swings left and they better not strike out.
What If It Doesn’t Get Better?
No one with any understanding of recruiting or high schoolers expects a program — even one with as national of interests as Ohio State, Alabama, or Georgia — to land every top prospect that it is in on. However, to be considered the leader on multiple five-star players only to lose them down the stretch is not a sustainable situation for any program.
So, if Johnson and company can’t close out this cycle with at least one more home run, it might be time to transition the Mount Rushmore position coach out. Whether that means he retires following the 2023 campaign and passes the sticks to someone who has worked under him in the past, or he transitions into a non-recruiting role within the program in which he still works with the players, developing their talent, but someone else is the face of the position, I don’t know. But this trend is not one that Ohio State can sustain for much longer.
The defense made moderate improvements in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ first season — even if the stats were actually better than the production — but still collapsed in the team’s two most important games of the season. Because the DC runs a somewhat unique 4-2-5 defense — with the LEO/Jack position floating between a lineman and a linebacker — it can actually look more like a 3-3-5. However, LJ’s entire career — including recent recruiting — has been focused on playing four traditional down linemen.
If the legendary coach can no longer land the best talent to fit the system he’s always coached in, where is the value in having him bring guys built to play a system that the defensive coordinator no longer runs? If LJ was signing top-50 or even top-75 guys across the board, then you deal with the schematic differences, but that’s just not the case, especially at EDGE rusher.
There seems to be a fairly obvious difference of visions between Knowles and Johnson — as evidenced by Sawyer in the Jack position last year and how much Johnson rotated players, despite the fact that Knowles said that wasn’t his defensive philosophy.
I have long been a Larry Johnson fan and thought that he was essential to the development of the Buckeye program, but at age 71, it might be time for him to make a change.
Continue reading...
LGHL The Dotted Line Podcast: Now that Aaron Scott’s committed, who’s Ohio State’s next BOOM?
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The Dotted Line Podcast: Now that Aaron Scott’s committed, who’s Ohio State’s next BOOM?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Twitter | @KhalilBolden2
Could Scott’s dramatic commitment lead to an explosion of defense talent?
On “The Dotted Line,” Land-Grant’s Matt Tamanini talks to recruiting experts, LGHL’s recruiting analysts, and prospects themselves to get a unique perspective on the players that will be a part of Ohio State’s future.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On today’s episode, Matt Tamanini chats with Land-Grant’s recruiting analyst Caleb Houser to break down the importance of cornerback Aaron Scott’s commitment on the 2024 Ohio State recruiting class. They also discuss his colorful commitment ceremony, potential momentum building on the defensive side of the ball for the Buckeyes, and who else could be joining the class before the end of summer.
They close the episode off by getting hyped for Chris Henry Jr. to become a Buckeye, even though he won’t officially put on an Ohio State jersey for three years.
Connect with Caleb Houser
Twitter: @CalebHouser9
Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Twitter | @KhalilBolden2
Could Scott’s dramatic commitment lead to an explosion of defense talent?
On “The Dotted Line,” Land-Grant’s Matt Tamanini talks to recruiting experts, LGHL’s recruiting analysts, and prospects themselves to get a unique perspective on the players that will be a part of Ohio State’s future.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode, Matt Tamanini chats with Land-Grant’s recruiting analyst Caleb Houser to break down the importance of cornerback Aaron Scott’s commitment on the 2024 Ohio State recruiting class. They also discuss his colorful commitment ceremony, potential momentum building on the defensive side of the ball for the Buckeyes, and who else could be joining the class before the end of summer.
They close the episode off by getting hyped for Chris Henry Jr. to become a Buckeye, even though he won’t officially put on an Ohio State jersey for three years.
Connect with Caleb Houser
Twitter: @CalebHouser9
Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State Football Countdown: 32
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Ohio State Football Countdown: 32
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
One play or big moment per day as we count down to the start of Ohio State’s 2023 football season.
As we count down to the start of the 2023 season, we will be looking back at one play or big moment in Ohio State history over the past decade or so that corresponds to the remaining days left until Buckeyes take the field against Indiana on Sept. 2. There are 32 days remaining.
The second play on this countdown to fall just outside of the prior decade, DeVier Posey makes this excellent snag against Wisconsin for a 32-yard touchdown in 2009. It was truly a different era of Ohio State football back then, as Posey led the team in this game with just two catches for 54 yards and the score. Terrelle Pryor attempted only 13 passes, completing five of them for 87 yards. The Buckeyes beat the Badgers 31-13, and this was the only TD scored on offense. Otherwise, Ohio State scored on a pair of pick-sixes, a kick return and a field goal.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
One play or big moment per day as we count down to the start of Ohio State’s 2023 football season.
As we count down to the start of the 2023 season, we will be looking back at one play or big moment in Ohio State history over the past decade or so that corresponds to the remaining days left until Buckeyes take the field against Indiana on Sept. 2. There are 32 days remaining.
Play of the Day: DeVier Posey’s 32-yard TD vs. Wisconsin (2009)
The second play on this countdown to fall just outside of the prior decade, DeVier Posey makes this excellent snag against Wisconsin for a 32-yard touchdown in 2009. It was truly a different era of Ohio State football back then, as Posey led the team in this game with just two catches for 54 yards and the score. Terrelle Pryor attempted only 13 passes, completing five of them for 87 yards. The Buckeyes beat the Badgers 31-13, and this was the only TD scored on offense. Otherwise, Ohio State scored on a pair of pick-sixes, a kick return and a field goal.
Players to Wear the #32 (since 2010):
- Storm Klein (2009-12)
- Darryl Wood (2011)
- Khaleed Franklin (2013)
- Russell Doup (2013-14)
- Elijaah Goins (2015-16)
- Tuf Borland (2016-20)
- TreVeyon Henderson (2021-present)
- Brenten “Inky” Jones (2022-present)
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LGHL Ohio State offers four-star wide receiver, Miami commit
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Ohio State offers four-star wide receiver, Miami commit
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2024 four-star WR Chance Robinson via Andrew Ivins, 247Sports
The Buckeyes offered 2024 four-star wide receiver and Miami commit in an effort to close out another dominant WR class.
July was a big month for the Ohio State football team when it came to recruiting. The Buckeyes saw both wins and losses in July, but overall the month was a massive success for the program. This past month, the Buckeyes earned commitments from five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott and four-star cornerbacks Miles Lockhart and Aaron Scott. The team also earned a commitment from 2026 WR Chris Henry Jr. this past weekend.
Ohio State once again holds claim to the No. 1 class in the Big Ten this cycle, and sits only behind Georgia in the 247Sports Class Rankings — and they are far from finished.
The Buckeyes are hoping to add to their class later this week as five-star safety KJ Bolden is scheduled to commit August 5, and will be deciding between Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State. For a long time, Bolden’s recruitment has believed to be down to Georgia and Ohio State, but both Auburn and Florida State have come on strong as of late.
This is to say, it is anyone’s guess what Bolden will decide later this week, but the Buckeyes certainly are in the mix and are viewed as favorites to some. Bolden is one of the Buckeyes’ biggest remaining targets as the team is focusing on the defensive side of the ball to close things out.
While defense will be the primary focal point moving forward, don’t expect the team to completely forget about offense.
If there is one certainty in college football recruiting, it is that nothing is certain until a recruit signs their name on the dotted line either during the Early Signing Period or on National Signing Day.
Ohio State was recently on the wrong side of this rule when 2025 five-star safety Jontae Gilbert de-commit from the team this past weekend. However, the Buckeyes also know this applies to every recruit committed to any program, and because of this, Ohio State recently offered 2024 four-star wide receiver and Miami commit, Chance Robinson (Fort Lauderdale, FL / St. Thomas Aquinas.)
Robinson committed to Miami in April and has not hinted at swaying from his pledge. However, an offer from the Buckeyes is certainly something that would be tough for him to not at least consider.
Ohio State’s wide receiver room, led by Brian Hartline, has been the best in college football as of late — and this unarguable. Sending multiple first-rounders to the NFL is all the proof anybody needs, and recruits have taken notice. Because of this, when Ohio State offers a WR, they typically listen... even if they are committed elsewhere.
The Buckeyes are off to an incredible start building a WR haul in this cycle with commits from five-star WR’s Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, but Hartline wants to add one or two more commits at the position. One of the program’s biggest targets at the position is four-star Jeremiah McClellan.
Ohio State has long been recruiting McClellan, and the team has been thought of as the leader in his recruitment for most of it. Ohio State also holds 100-percent of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. However, as of late Oregon has been coming on strong for McClellan, and there is a realistic chance the Ducks have evened the score with the Buckeyes for McClellan. The offer to Robinson could be a direct result of this.
Or, the Buckeyes could just really like what they have seen of Robinson and they feel confidant on McClellan as well. Ohio State really wants to add one more commitment at the position, but would happily make room for both McClellan and Robinson if they both wanted to join the team.
It needs to be noted, McClellan recently took to social media to ask if Ohio State was his next “home.”
Robinson is the No. 23 WR prospect and is the No. 151 overall prospect. He is also the No. 23 recruit out of Florida. McClellan is the No. 18 WR and is the No. 108 overall prospect. He is also the No. 4 recruit out of Missouri.
Continue reading...
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2024 four-star WR Chance Robinson via Andrew Ivins, 247Sports
The Buckeyes offered 2024 four-star wide receiver and Miami commit in an effort to close out another dominant WR class.
July was a big month for the Ohio State football team when it came to recruiting. The Buckeyes saw both wins and losses in July, but overall the month was a massive success for the program. This past month, the Buckeyes earned commitments from five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott and four-star cornerbacks Miles Lockhart and Aaron Scott. The team also earned a commitment from 2026 WR Chris Henry Jr. this past weekend.
Ohio State once again holds claim to the No. 1 class in the Big Ten this cycle, and sits only behind Georgia in the 247Sports Class Rankings — and they are far from finished.
The Buckeyes are hoping to add to their class later this week as five-star safety KJ Bolden is scheduled to commit August 5, and will be deciding between Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State. For a long time, Bolden’s recruitment has believed to be down to Georgia and Ohio State, but both Auburn and Florida State have come on strong as of late.
This is to say, it is anyone’s guess what Bolden will decide later this week, but the Buckeyes certainly are in the mix and are viewed as favorites to some. Bolden is one of the Buckeyes’ biggest remaining targets as the team is focusing on the defensive side of the ball to close things out.
While defense will be the primary focal point moving forward, don’t expect the team to completely forget about offense.
Ohio State offers four-star Miami WR commit
If there is one certainty in college football recruiting, it is that nothing is certain until a recruit signs their name on the dotted line either during the Early Signing Period or on National Signing Day.
Ohio State was recently on the wrong side of this rule when 2025 five-star safety Jontae Gilbert de-commit from the team this past weekend. However, the Buckeyes also know this applies to every recruit committed to any program, and because of this, Ohio State recently offered 2024 four-star wide receiver and Miami commit, Chance Robinson (Fort Lauderdale, FL / St. Thomas Aquinas.)
Robinson committed to Miami in April and has not hinted at swaying from his pledge. However, an offer from the Buckeyes is certainly something that would be tough for him to not at least consider.
Ohio State’s wide receiver room, led by Brian Hartline, has been the best in college football as of late — and this unarguable. Sending multiple first-rounders to the NFL is all the proof anybody needs, and recruits have taken notice. Because of this, when Ohio State offers a WR, they typically listen... even if they are committed elsewhere.
The Buckeyes are off to an incredible start building a WR haul in this cycle with commits from five-star WR’s Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, but Hartline wants to add one or two more commits at the position. One of the program’s biggest targets at the position is four-star Jeremiah McClellan.
Ohio State has long been recruiting McClellan, and the team has been thought of as the leader in his recruitment for most of it. Ohio State also holds 100-percent of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. However, as of late Oregon has been coming on strong for McClellan, and there is a realistic chance the Ducks have evened the score with the Buckeyes for McClellan. The offer to Robinson could be a direct result of this.
Or, the Buckeyes could just really like what they have seen of Robinson and they feel confidant on McClellan as well. Ohio State really wants to add one more commitment at the position, but would happily make room for both McClellan and Robinson if they both wanted to join the team.
It needs to be noted, McClellan recently took to social media to ask if Ohio State was his next “home.”
Robinson is the No. 23 WR prospect and is the No. 151 overall prospect. He is also the No. 23 recruit out of Florida. McClellan is the No. 18 WR and is the No. 108 overall prospect. He is also the No. 4 recruit out of Missouri.
Continue reading...
